Attacks and Damage by Termites in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Fields in the Department of Agboville (South-Eastern C?te d'Ivoire)

Termites play an important role in tropical soils, but some species attack crops such as cassava. The present study, carried out in the department of Agboville (south-eastern C?te d'Ivoire) aims to assess termite attacks and damage in peasant cassava fields. Sampling for termites was done in three (3) age classes of plots; young (0 to 3 months), medium age (3 to 8 months) and older plots (8 to 18 months). For each age group, 3 cassava plots of traditional varieties, measuring 1 ha each, were chosen; or 9 plots in total. In these plots, 100 plants were chosen at random for observations. Each part of the cassava plant was prospected (leaf, stem, crown) and the observations focused on the health of the plant, the signs of attacks (galleries, soil veneers, holes and others) and the type of damage. Five (5) species of termites including 4 fungi (Ancistrotermes guineensis, Microtermes sp, Macrotermes bellicosus and Pseudacanthotermes militaris) and one (1) xylophage (Amitermes evuncifer) of the Termitidae family were collected in the different plots. The Ancistrotermes guineensis and Microtermes sp species, with respective attack rates of 47% and 29.7%, are the most aggressive on cassava. Termite attacks vary depending on the age of the plots. They are higher in young plots (72.33%) than in older plots (59.66%). The Ancistrotermes guineensis and Microtermes sp species, with respective attack rates of 47% and 29%, are the most aggressive on cassava. These attacks cause extensive damage that may affect the production of cassava. These results will allow growers to consider preventive cassava controls to avoid huge losses from termite damage.